Page 57 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Late January 2019

Hollywood Report: ‘Project Blue Book’ 57

History's 1950s-set UFO

investigation drama has a

fascinating historical

backdrop, but can't find

that 'X-Files' balance of

monster-of-the-week and

mythology.

The Hollywood Reporter

If you want to start an argument or debate
among fans of The X-Files, one of the easiest
triggers is to pit supporters of the stand-alone
monster-of-the-week episodes against partisans
of the twisted mythology episodes. Part of why
the show's legacy is secure is because devotees
on both sides can make compelling cases for
their preference. reality giving you a great genre story isn't the and add value, but the one-off characters and
Surely the creators of History's new same as making a great genre story. locations have to sustain their own stories. Here,
scripted drama Project Blue Book know the The chief problem with Project Blue there's no internal drama to any of the
template that worked for The X-Files. They Book is that its main pairing is fictionalized, and investigations and no stand-alone characters
know that the balance between stand-alone and fictionalized weakly. Maybe you think the capable of driving their own tales.
mythology episodes is crucial for a show like Scully/Mulder binary is too clear and you want At one point, Hynek declares, "I am
this and that, in an ideal world, their show to muddy the waters. But Project Blue Book has going to use science to reveal the truth. While
would be able to excel on both sides. The clear such a hard time articulating Hynek and Quinn's the truth might be sometimes less entertaining
recognition of the template is the thing that's respective ideologies that nearly every episode than unfounded speculation, there's safety in the
most promising about Project Blue Book, even forces them to clarify the exact purpose of their certitude it provides." It's there you'd think that
if the execution in the first six episodes offers jobs through a repetition in which Hynek is maybe History's brand edict might require
neither satisfying stand-alone episodes nor any constantly debunking each case, then finding sticking to actual history and avoiding anything
sort of mythology worth getting wrapped up in. one loose end he needs to explore, and Quinn sensationalistic at the cost of entertainment.
It's a fun premise and little more. constantly has to stop him. Valentine and Instead, once the show starts diving into its
Set in the early 1950s, the series is based Harding are ever glowering in poorly lit war mythology episodes, it becomes very, very clear
on the real story of astrophysicist and college rooms warning Quinn that he was brought in to that nobody was being contained by the factual
professor Josef Allen Hynek (Aidan Gillen), do a job and that Hynek may be on the verge of record, only by a basic sense of genre
who spent decades working as part of the Air learning too much. And blah blah blah. Both convention.
Force's titular program investigating UFO Gillen and Malarkey give performances that are The serie does some good work in
encounters and unexplained phenomena. For best suited to being fourth or fifth leads — reproducing the national mood of paranoia in
purposes of the show, he does this under the Science Guy and Military Guy — in an early Cold War. That's especially the case in the
watch of Captain Michael Quinn (Michael investigative drama fronted by more dynamic first two episodes, from Maleficent director
Malarkey), a veteran with a history of dark and engaging characters. There's only so much Robert Stromberg, whose background in visual
experiences in the military. Hynek's job is to get one-note squinting and scowling I can take effects and production design is evident in
to the truth of each case, but only if the truth is before I crave other colors. nearly every heightened, painterly frame. Those
an easy explanation that Quinn can feed to local For their part, both McDonough and opening episodes contain locations and set
authorities and press before reporting back to Harney are perfect in their capacities as stern pieces that are, stylistically, beautifully realized
his own shady bosses (Neal McDonough's authority figures, and if you didn't know that even if the plot never kicks in. Whether the
Harding and Michael Harney's Valentine), a pair both actors are capable of so many more issue is vision or budget or time, subsequent
of generals with their fingers in a conspiracy distinctive variations on malevolence, you'd episodes directed by Pete Travis and Norma
that I'm just going to assume goes all the way up never quibble. I don't think you can have a good Bailey are less distinctive, though the fourth and
to somewhere near the top. show with Gillen and Malarkey, at least in these sixth episodes still have eye-catching moments.
Creator David O'Leary, part of a characters, as your sole protagonists, but In all, the six episodes of Project Blue
production team that includes Sean Jablonski McDonough and Harney are serviceable pieces Book did just enough to keep me moving
and, most prominently, Robert Zemeckis, has a of a background military cabal. Oddly, the forward in the hopes that everything will click.
dauntingly fruitful real backdrop to work from characters who offer the freshest subplot are Even if the storytelling comes together at some
here. The actual Project Blue Book collected also its most overtly bad, at least initially. Laura point, I'm not sure what can be done to make
more than 12,600 UFO reports between 1952 Mennell as Hynek's wife and Ksenia Solo as Hynek and Quinn a better duo. As it stands, the
and 1970 and debunked almost all of them, mysterious interloper Susie are constantly doing show is interesting without ever being as
because what else were they going to do? Admit ludicrous things like visiting the silliest daytime fascinating or involving as it ought to be. []
the truth to the American people? And for his beatnik bar in Ohio or constructing a fallout
part, Hynek's perspective evolved from shelter without plans, yet in their interactions
skepticism to a more committed and pragmatic there is a pseudo-flirtation that, if nothing else, For The Best Radio Programming
belief that of the phenomena he was exploring, has the show's only stirring of passion. 24 / 7 / 365
some couldn't be explained away as tricks of the The weekly plots are bloodless, even as From The
light, military test flights or wayward birds and they explore some notorious cases that are very
thus were probably real. Right there, you have real, including the Flatwoods Monster, the World of the Paranormal
both a structure for a regular weekly TV Lubbock Lights and, in the one episode I came To
procedural — with 12,600 possible episodes! — closest to enjoying, the transplanting of German The Science of Parapsychology
and a built-in arc for your main character, one expat scientists to Alabama under the heading of Visit
that could play out over multiple seasons. Operation Paperclip. The key to a great X-Files
However, like CBS All Access' Strange Angel, stand-alone is that Scully and Mulder are there www.xzbn.net